Antarctica

Nov 28-Dec 9, 2024
FO5998 EZE-EZE-USH, FO59999 USH-EZE

I’ve been wanting to go to Antarctica for over ten years, but have been reluctant to face the rough crossing of the Drake Passage to reach our seventh continent. With regular news stories of record warm Antarctica temperatures and giant ice shelves separating, it felt like I needed to push through the fear and visit before the environment changes forever. There are a number of options for adventure cruises that allow you to visit the continent, each with their pros and cons. Luckily, a friend had completed a trip with Atlas Ocean Voyages in 2023 and recommended them as a good compromise of experience, comfort and cost, so in January, we booked our 11-night adventure. It proved out to be the perfect cruise and of all of our trips this was by far the best.

Nov 28 Morning - Buenos Ares

As good as the trip was, unfortunately, the experience did not start well. After a few planned days in Buenos Ares, we had been assigned the earliest 3:10am bus transfer to the EZE international airport for our early charter flight to Ushuaia. The cruise company arranged breakfast at 2:45am, and at the airport we were more than ready to leave for our 6:00am Flybondi charter flight, operated by AlbaStar. Unfortunately, we were short one pilot, and after finding a relief pilot, we didn’t take off until almost 8:00am. Shortly after take off, we were informed there was a problem with the landing gear indicator, which was a necessary instrument, but did not impact our flight safety. As there are fewer maintenance options in Ushuaia, we we needed to head back to EZE. Because the 737 doesn’t have fuel dumping capability and we were overweight for landing, we ended up flying in circles for over 2 hours. Finally we landed back at EZE, dropped back on a bus, and back in the terminal where we started around 10:30am.

The charter flight had only our cruise passengers — and was the vast majority of the cruise, so we knew the ship wasn’t going to leave with out us — but as Fly Bondi was a pretty small charter airline, I wasn’t confident that they’d get us there that day. Thankfully I was wrong — we had a new flight crew and they found another plane, in the domestic airport (AEP), which they were eventually able to fly to us. After a very long day in the very cramped and hot domestic portion of EZE, we were very happy to board our bus to our new plane around 2:00pm and made it to Ushuaia at 5:20pm.

Nov 28 Afternoon - Ushuaia

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in Argentina and the gateway for most Antarctic tourism. With the delay, we missed the planned day touring Tierra del Fuego National Park, but after collecting our luggage, we were loaded onto buses and given a brief tour of Ushuaia that the guide who had been waiting for us all day still wanted to deliver, pacing the bus to match her speech. Having had almost nothing to eat all day, we were less than enthusiastic for the glacial pace of transfer to the ship, with cars honking and bikes passing us. Just before 7:00pm, we were finally onboard our Antarctic purpose-built ship, The World Traveller, followed shortly by our safety briefing, welcome reception and dinner. We finally set sail shortly after 8:00pm, about two hours late.

Brief pause for the Ushuaia sign on our way to the ship

Safety first with our mandatory safety briefing

View of Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego from the ship before departure

Enjoying the sunset before dinner

Ready for the crossing, but not knowing what was ahead of us

More of the city and surrounding mountains

Glad to have a helicopter pad as an emergency exit option from the cruise, but hoping we won’t need it. In the background is the Mare Australis ship, which we cruised in back in 2008, between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas, around Cape Horn

Heading out on the Beagle Channel for the Drake

The literal calm of the channel before the storm

A service boat approached nearby before we went head on to the Drake

We were delighted with the ship. All the spaces were beautiful and well designed for the Antarctic trip. The room was very spacious, and because the ship had an infinite supply of desalinated ocean water, the shower was consistent with a hotel experience. We accept that touring Antarctica has an impact on the environment, but felt a little better knowing that the ship was efficient, and captured and stored all waste, leaving nothing behind.

After enjoying the gourmet dinner, champagne and wine selection, we were warned via ship’s announcement that we were headed into stormy waters, and that we should expect rough water from 4:00am until 10:00pm the next day. Fearing the worst, we took our nausea medication and headed to bed.

Nov 29 - Drake Passage

True to the forecast, we woke up early to some significant sway in our cabin. The Egyptian cotton sheets were lovely, but did make for a slick surface to slide around on with the ship movements. I was up early and walked around the ship being careful to maintain balance and keep a clear eye on the horizon. Not sure if it was my fortitude or the medication, but I was doing OK as long as I could see the horizon. Unfortunately, a number of passengers weren’t doing as well and didn’t always make it to their sickness bags or the cabin. Tom wasn’t doing well, but did manage to carefully get out of bed for the mandatory IAATO briefing on rules and procedures for Antarctica landing. This briefing, like all the lectures and presentations, was conducted in a wonderful theatre in the bow of the ship, with no windows. Given its poor placement for rough seas, predictably the sickness bags they had distributed were required for some, and although Tom made it to almost to the end, he needed the bag before we could leave auditorium. Tom retreated to the cabin and comfort of bed, and I found a location with the least movement in the centre of the ship to ride out the stormy waters.

Unfortunately, even with the rough waters, they didn’t adjust the schedule, and Tom needed to leave the cabin again in the afternoon for a biohazard inspection of things we planned to take on the landing, to visit the mudroom to learn how to put on our life vests, and to confirm sizing for our souvenir parkas and landing boots. Having completed all the necessary formalities, Tom was able to rest more while I carefully enjoyed the ship amenities.

Sampling of the 5m swells on our Drake Crossing

By early evening, things had calmed down a little, but was a little premature for Tom to take pictures

Tom made a brief appearance outside of the cabin to try to capture some bird photos, but it proved a bad idea to chase birds through a giant lens on a rocking ship. Tom was back to the room and sick again. Although not feeling great, he managed to take advantage of room service for a small dinner and I socialized on the ship and had dinner with others lucky enough not to be sick.

Nov 30 - Drake Passage

Through the worst of the Drake, we had our first iceberg sighting at 4:00pm and were still in open water through the day. Our ship had an open bridge policy so we passed some time visiting the bridge and hearing about what to expect.

With Tom feeling a little better, hamming it up for our first visit to the bridge

Examining our path, very glad that our captain doesn’t like storms and took an easterly detour to avoid the worst of it. A French ship leaving the same day, went directly south through the storm.

Looking up from the bridge from the 5th deck Water’s Edge, featuring a heated seating area

Our first of many iceberg sightings, hoping that we were through the worst of the crossing

Interesting texture as we pass a little closer to the second iceberg

Our last iceberg for the day

After our last full day in open water, with just a few penguins floating by on ice floes, Tom was feeling well enough to head to the dining room for dinner. He also attended the activity briefing, from the comfort of the Atlas lounge TV simulcast, avoiding a return trip to the auditorium. Because of the need for strict IAATO precautions for landings, variable sea ice, and weather conditions, we did not have a set itinerary before the cruise or even as we were leaving. At the first briefing, Ekaterina (Katya) Uryupova, our expedition leader, taught us that we needed to be flexible and at each expedition briefing we’d learn about the plans for the next day, which we mostly were able to stick to. After the briefing, we had a bit of time in the Atlas Lounge before heading to the dining room for dinner.

After dinner, Tom headed to the room early and I had some time in the 7th-deck Dome lounge before checking out for the day, excited for our arrival in the morning.

Dec 1 Morning - Petermann Island

We were up early for our first landing on Petermann Island, and a chance to get up close to our first Penguins colony. This was also our first ride on the zodiacs, and our first time through the regular routine of sequencing ourselves in the Atlas Lounge for 10 people per zodiac, and respecting the IAATO limit of no more than 100 (of our 170) passengers off the ship at any one time. Petermann Island was named for August Petermann, a German explorer who discovered it in 1873. There are a number of bird species on the island, but we were most interested in the large population of Gentoo penguins.

To respect the environment, our ship is equipped with GPS mooring technology, so we never dropped anchor at any of our landing spots. The ship thrusters worked with the GPS signal to keep us “anchored” in one location for our zodiac transfers.

Some perspective on the almost 1,200km we’d traveled from Ushuaia to reach Petermann, an island on the tip of the Antarctica Peninsula

As we approached, we were treated with icebergs visible from the ship, as we stationed ourselves near the island

Rare view of another ship in the area, as regulations prohibit multiple cruise ships to visit the same landing location at one time

VIew from ship of cross at Petermann Island, commemorating the loss of three British men who had left the Faraday research Station on foot in July 1982, got trapped when a storm broke up the sea ice, and are assumed to have fallen through ice on August 14th navigating their return

Refuge hut on Petermann Island, built in 1955 and available as emergency shelter if conditions were to deteriorate and not allow return to the ship

Tom catching a penguin porpoising near the ship

Excited and ready for our first landing

Unloading the zodiac fleet for our landing transport

After leaving the 3rd-deck mud room, Tom is waiting his turn to board the zodiac. This was the first time, but would get very used to the process

Luckily we had calm waters for our first transfer, but always safely transitioned to the zodiac with a firm hand on the expedition crewmember

Heading to the landing site

Immediately at the landing site, we were welcomed by a group of Gentoo penguins and a nesting area with lots of guano (penguin poo)

Gentoo heading from their nest to feed in the water

Hanging out outside the nest

Close up of the distinctive orange beak

Lots of activity around the nesting area

Formally commemorating our official arrival on our seventh continent and 107th country

Closeup

Nesting penguin with visible egg. There isn’t any easy way to tell if this was the male or female, as they trade off nesting regularly so the other can eat

Providing some context of the long walk to the nest

Looking back on how far we walked on the snow with our green parkas standing out from the whiteness

Even in cloudy grey weather our ship is always a beautiful contrast

The reality that most penguins don’t stay white

A trio of Gentoo heading to the sea

This penguin could really use a swim to clear off that guano

The other side of the lens

Heading back to the ship we can see an expedition crewmember in the zodiac, supervising the transfers and ready to respond to any emergency

We were greeted back at the ship’s mudroom with hot chocolate and warm towels, removed our gear, and headed back to the room to warm up and get ready for lunch.

Dec 1 Afternoon - Girard Bay and Lemaire Channel

After our first landing, the ship continued on to Girard Bay for our first zodiac cruise. For the cruise, rather than landing in a specific location, the zodiac pilot spends about an hour exploring the area on zodiac. This generally meant looking at the landscape, icebergs, and searching for wildlife in the land or on the water. As things are always changing, each zodiac has a different experience and is heavily influenced by the pilot’s luck and skill. For our first tour ,we were lucky to get up close to some humpback whales. This was also the first opportunity for those that signed up for to kayaking to get out. Although it would have been nice to be a little closer to the water without a motor, we weren’t confident enough in our kayak skills, so stuck to the stability of the zodiac.

Our second destination, Girard Bay, is north of Petermann Island, and is an ice-filled bay on the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula named for French explorer Jean-Baptiste Girard

Beautiful view of the mainland Antarctic continent as the ship makes its way to Girard Bay

Expedition crew (always dressed in black) surveying the area get an early humpback sighting

Looking back at the next zodiac as we head out on our zodiac cruise

The first kayak group making their way through the icy waters

After navigating through the ice floes and icebergs we’re quite a distance from the ship

Bird flying close to the glacier on the Antarctic coast forming the bay

Very lucky humpback whale sighting, a relatively comfortable distance from our zodiac

Another zodiac enjoying the humpback views; it was generally safe to stand when we weren’t in motion, but I always confirmed with the zodiac pilot to be sure

Blue ice in the iceberg indicates a more dense ice

Back on the ship, watching another zodiac of passengers head out

Back on the ship, we left Girard Bay and headed toward the Lemaire Channel, lucky to find some penguins traveling the same route

Penguins continuing to porpoise through the water in their own form of flight

Last shots before we part ways

Later in the journey we are joined by another pair of humpback whales

Entering the Lemaire Channel, a very photographed and well-traveled route for the cruise ships in the area

The Lemaire Channel, which runs between Kyiv Peninsula on the mainland and Booth Island, is also a good place for a frozen drink from the Dome Bar

Although a little further from the 7th-deck Dome, the Water’s Edge observation deck below, with heated seating, is also a great vantage point for the channel

Newly-formed icebergs float through the beautiful channel

Final view of the channel, before we head inside for the evening

In the afternoon, returning zodiac guests, in addition to hot chocolate, also had the opportunity for an accompanying shot of alcohol. I was content with the warm beverage, but also respected that they only offered on the last outing, as we weren’t allowed to leave the ship if we’d had anything to drink earlier in the day. With a little bit of time to relax, the normal schedule then included an expedition briefing at 6:00pm to learn about the plans for the next day. Today, because we were headed through the picturesque Lemaire Channel, we headed up to the Dome before dinner. The trip into the channel was fairly brief, as we turned around and headed south for our next adventure.

Dec 2 Morning - Crossing Antarctic Circle

The main objective for the morning was making it inside the Antarctic Circle (66°33′50.3″S), the point below which the Antarctic officially begins. We were a little early for the equinox, but after December 21st, within the circle the sun would never drop below the horizon. As the Southern Ocean was still filled with packed ice that needed to be navigated through, there were no guarantees that we would make this milestone. The World Traveller’s sister ship had successfully navigated there three days ago, so it was seeming likely, but ice floes can change patterns. Luckily our Russian captain, Vitaliy Tsylke, was comfortable navigating through ice, so we pushed our way through the floe ice and made it to within the circle.

Transitioning from open sea to the recently broken up sea ice, we started the difficult portion of our journey to the circle

The large pieces of sea ice are a great place for Crabeater seals to rest

This seal looks like he’s been through a few rough fights

Beautiful contrast of the thick ice and small patches of open water

With each new sheet of ice, we were looking for hard-to-find wildlife and were often successful

This find of a Leopard seal nursing her pups was tremendously lucky as the cubs don’t stay long with their mother

When the crew is taking pictures you know it’s special — the expedition wildlife expert had never witnessed this in-person before

As we push through we find more small patches of open water

Officially inside the Antarctic Circle (at 66°34S; 67°04W) and quite far from Girard Bay where we left the previous evening

For some reason the first part of the celebration is putting an ice cube down our backs

Next a photo with Poseidon to commemorate the milestone. We skipped the shots.

Surveying the ceremony from the running track above

Starting our journey back out of the pack ice

Viewing the expanse of the ice that we’re navigating through to our destination

Dressed warmer for the cold, we enjoy more of the view working our way back to open water

Five Crabeaters resting together

An iceberg still trapped within the sea ice

The Crabeater seals were the most common and were varied in colouring

Making it safely back to open water and ending a successful adventure within the Antarctic Circle

Beautiful landscapes all around as continued north

Glaciers reaching into the ocean, ready to be the next iceberg

Dec 2 Afternoon - Crystal Sound

Back in open waters, we continued to travel in Crystal Sound, running between the southern part of the Biscoe Islands to our west and the coast of Graham Land on the peninsula. The sound was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for its place in the research on the structure of ice crystals. For our zodiac cruise in the sound we were still not far from the sea ice that had this area closed off for the winter.

Mostly in open water we were near a few small islands, and although the map implies otherwise, we were just outside of the official Antarctic Circle in this location.

The zodiacs being unloaded for our cruise in Crystal Sound

This close, we didn’t need Tom’s giant lens to see the crabeater seals

Weddell seal with some mountains in the background

Giant ice shelf, temporary home for one seal

Krill floating near the surface represent the beginning of the food chain in animals, providing food for humpbacks, penguins and, contrary to their name, crabeater seals

Beautiful mix of sea ice, icebergs and two Crabeater seals

Glacier on the move with a giant snow shelf on the land behind

We were able to get very close to this Weddell seal on a small patch of rock near the melting snow

Some perspective on how close the zodiacs were able to get to the ice floes and resting seals

Moving on from the seals, we are able to focus on the beauty of the massive icebergs

The impressive scale of this iceberg is hard to put in perspective

Antarctic Cormorant resting on the snow pack

Heading back to the ship

Taking my polar plunge into the Southern Ocean

Tom captures how I was feeling just before my head went under

Official confirmation of my plunge

In addition to enjoying the beauty of our zodiac cruise, many of us got to cap our day within the Antarctic circle with a plunge in the freezing water. I wasn’t sure until just before that I’d go through with it, but Tom had decided to skip from the beginning, and acted as photographer. After my polar plunge, I grabbed a shower and headed to the lounge for some drinks and to watch the evening expedition briefing before dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed the views and company in The Dome lounge before bed.

Dec 3 Morning - Winter Island / Galindez Island

After the long overnight journey from near the Antarctic Circle, we arrived outside of Snow and Galindez Islands closer to our previous landing at Petermann Island. For our morning adventure, we had a zodiac cruise where we could see the Vernadsky Research Base on Galindez Island. This research base was established by Britain in 1947, then transferred to Ukraine in 1996, and is named after the mineroligist Vladimir Vernadsky. We were able to wave and shout greetings, but unable to land. One of the expedition crew on our cruise had been stationed there previously, so he was able to reconnect with his friends who were likely in good spirits as they had made it through the winter months of darkness. After cruising past the research station, we explored the ice around Galindez and neighbouring Winter Island.

Galindez Island is our first stop as we head north from the circle

Headed out on our zodiac cruise

The next group of kayakers heading out for their adventure

Capturing a penguin swimming in the ice near the island

Approaching Galindez Island

Saying hello to researchers at the Vernadsky Station

Glad that we didn’t need to shovel the path to the dock, but definitely worth the effort for them to get their supplies

An iceberg that appears to have lasted through the previous summer and has a fresh layer of winter snow

More of the beautiful icebergs with the nearby Winter island in the background

Navigating the maze of ice to return to our ship

After the zodiac cruise we had time to relax before lunch.

Dec 3 Afternoon - Port Charcot

During the afternoon, the ship continued past our first stop on Petermann Island and on to sunny Port Charcot, a natural harbour first mapped in 1904 by French Explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot. The bay is surrounded by mountains and ice cliffs. Unfortunately, as it was a long journey and the open seas were a little rough, we were delayed and did not arrive soon enough for an afternoon excursion. We instead enjoyed our time on the ship, and I took the opportunity to use the well equipped gym for a workout. Nearby Booth Island is where our brave campers were to spend the night. This was the beginning of our extraordinary run of great weather with blue sunny skies with us until we arrived back in Ushuaia.

Port Charcot off Booth Island is our new northern most point and relatively close to a number of our previous destinations

Without an afternoon zodiac we had more time to enjoy the views of Booth Island from the ship

Tom leading the line of photographers

Antarctic Cormorant in flight

Following the Antarctic Cormorant flight

Humpbacks briefly joined us

Expedition crew heading out to ready the campsite for the brave campers

In addition to the official photographer, expedition crewmembers were also interested in capturing photos

The three course dinners were always interestingly plated and accompanied by great wine choices

Group of campers digging the hole in the snow that they’d try to sleep in for the next few hours. The only tent is to provide privacy for the latrine bucket which needs to be ported back to the ship

As we observe from the comfort of the ship the campers are spending a lot of time on the chairs that are warmer than laying in the cold snow

Even after a late night in the Dome lounge there is still enough sun to light up the surrounding mountains

From the comfort of the Dome lounge, we enjoyed some good company and had an excellent view of the campers as well as the twilight skies. All of us on board were content with our choice to skip the adventure and head into our warm beds for the night.

Dec 4 Morning - Port Charcot

After the campers returned to the ship, over breakfast we repositioned to another location just slightly west of where the campers had slept on Booth Island for our morning landing. The island promised more opportunities to hike in the snow and ice and observe the penguins. Knowing that we had a warm sunny day, we didn’t add as many layers, but still found it quite warm once we got moving.

The distance from the campsite to our landing spot is not far, but a better spot for our short hike

A few Snowy Sheathbill joined us to survey the area

Enjoying the snow covered beauty of the island from the bay

There was beauty in all directions and clear blue skies

Another group of Gentoo penguins framed by the float ice

Hiking up the hill for a panoramic view of the area

The next group of ten passengers ready to join us on land

Kelp gull surveying the area

Our ship as beautiful as ever moored in the bay

Large Gentoo colony moving between the snow covered land and water

The cairn at hilltop is comprised of a wooden column and a plaque inscribed with the names of the first French Antarctic expedition led by Jean-Baptiste E. A. Charcot  

Posing with the Antarctic flag at the Baptiste cairn with the bay below

Another Gentoo colony view

Penguin on the move

A friendly pair of Gentoo squeaky clean returning to land after their swim

Kayakers close to shore getting their own view of the penguins

Lone Gentoo posing for Tom

Moving on from the penguin to the beautiful landscape

Making our way back to the Zodiac

Extra zodiac with barrels full of emergency supplies is always nearby to respond to emergencies or drastic changes in conditions that might delay our return

One last Gentoo is nearby as we get ready to board our zodiac.

Back on the ship, we were ready for lunch. The ship’s chefs did an amazing job at feeding us, but as the ship has no opportunity to re-stock by day six we were starting to notice changes in the menu. This lunch marked the last of the fresh strawberries and we were no longer having bananas in the morning; definitely a first world problem, but it was fun to watch how the chef adapted.

Dec 4 Afternoon - Flandres Bay

We began the afternoon navigating to Flandres Bay. During our trip in open water, we had a pod of orcas following a parallel path for a good portion of the journey. Flandres Bay is surrounded by glaciers, ice shelves and filled with icebergs and is a great location for whale watching.

Flandres Bay, our destination, northeast of Port Charcot

Tracking the orcas from our room

Continuing to follow the pod

We were met by a new group of orcas near where we moored at Flandres Bay

Our expedition crew approached the pod before the first zodiac went out

The first zodiac cruises had a great opportunity to get close to the orcas

As we head out in the second batch of zodiacs, we missed the orcas, so we went out to explore the icepack

We were very lucky to run into a pair of humpbacks amongst the ice that were not too far from our zodiac

At the edge of the glaciers you can observe future icebergs

Massive iceberg floats slowly with the current

Layers of compact blue ice and newer snow

Looking back through an iceberg at how far we’ve traveled

One of the more interesting iceberg shapes, looking dragon-like

Each iceberg had its own unique features

Back on the ship, we continue our journey north, and capture more of the beautiful scenery from the Dome lounge after dinner

Passing a ship heading south, likely headed for a research station

When in calm waters the zodiacs can to stored on the helicopter pad to speed up the loading and unloading process

Viking Octantis, heading the other direction, with a smaller ship behind. Because of strict IAATO limits, two ships cannot moor at the same location, so our only other opportunity to see ships is while we are at sea.

Capturing the movement of this gigantic newly formed iceberg heading into the bay

After another great dinner and a relaxing evening, we headed to bed, ready for another day of adventure.

Dec 5 Morning - Orne Harbour

For the morning, we had our first landing on the mainland of the Antarctic continent, at Orne Harbor, which is a one mile cove discovered by a Belgian expedition in 1898. Many passengers considered a mainland landing a significant distinction, but I was more than happy being anywhere whether it be island or mainland. What it represented for everyone was an opportunity for a steep hike up to a large colony of Chinstrap penguins.

We continued our path northeast overnight along the Antarctic peninsula and moored at Orne Harbor, just off the mainland

A preview from the ship of the challenging climb ahead of us

A Gentoo penguin close to our landing location

Having climbed the switchbacks we were rewarded with our first Chinstrap penguins

The rock cropping at the top of the hill made for a safe nesting location

Having observed so many Gentoo, the unique features of the Chinstrap even more interesting

South polar skua on the lookout for a chance to steal unprotected penguin eggs

The V-shaped opening is free of feathers and allows transfer of warmth to an egg

Nesting on the right amount of pebbles to provide the right temperature for egg development

From below, the Chinstrap appears to tower above us all, and shows off its frightening tongue with an inner layer of teeth

Looking less frightening with its mouth closed

The penguins didn’t seem to need privacy for mating

Penguin taking the long walk to the ocean for some food

The penguins right behind us aren’t paying any attention as we pose

Looking back down to to our ship and the beautiful harbour below

Carefully making my way down through the ice covered packed snow

Officially recognizing our landing on the mainland continent proper

Heading back on the zodiac, seeing the evidence in the snow track of the many small falls that our shipmates made navigating the switchbacks

Approaching the ship

Back on the ship I decided to enjoy the sunny warm weather with a walk along the running track. Although we never captured it on video there were a number of glaciers calving during our time there

Chinstrap getting frisky while we crowd around

After making our way back from the landing, we had lunch while the ship continued our journey.

Dec 5 Afternoon - Enterprise Island

Our afternoon zodiac cruise was at Enterprise Island, which was first charted in 1898. The area was known for whaling ships that anchored at Foyn Harbour. The main objective of the zodiac was visiting some ship wrecks, but it also turned out to be a great place for humpback sightings.

Enterprise Island continues our path to the northeast from our morning in Orne Harbour

Shipwreck of the Norwegian whaling ship, Guvernøren, with a six passenger sailboat docked nearby

Single penguin on the rocky beach

Getting up close to the wreck from the zodiac

In 1915 the captain of the Guvernøren intentionally ran the ship aground on Enterprise to save his crew (and whale oil) after a fire broke out on board

Although it looks like the sailboat might be too close to the wreck, this is an approved docking location for small craft

Left over wooden flensing ship that supported the whaling activity was abandoned on the island

Away from the wrecks, other zodiacs were focused on whale watching

The other zodiacs were a little too close for comfort for me; the whales had approached them so they just needed to stay in place

The zodiac group on the right got quite the thrill and were justifiably frightened

As we moved away, we had more encounters

Another pair of whales

Our last whale sighting before heading back to the ship

Antarctic tern in flight

Winding down a beautiful day with sun low on the horizon, and another late night enjoying the company and view from the Dome lounge

Once the expeditions were done, the talk of the ship was the zodiac group that had the scarily close encounter with the Humpbacks. Everyone wanted to hear their first-hand experience and see the closeup video that was being widely shared. This cemented just how much each experience is a roll of the dice. Others felt they missed something, but I was personally very happy to have spent some time exploring the shipwreck and getting to view the humpbacks later from a more safe distance. Although it is rare, whales can and have accidentally tipped zodiacs, and it was certainly top of mind when the whales were near. After dinner and time in the Dome lounge, we went to bed sad that our time in Antarctica was almost over, but looking forward to the last day of adventure.

Dec 6 Morning - Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Island, South Shetland

For our last day prior to the crossing, we moved further north to the South Shetland Islands, which is about 120km from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The islands have been claimed by the United Kingdom since 1908, but by the terms of the Antarctic Treaty the “islands’ sovereignty is neither recognized or disputed, but are free for use by other signatories like the rest of Antarctica”. In my country-tracking application (Been), this is a different country from Antarctica and so it became officially my 108th total country and the fifth new country for 2024.

In South Shetland, in the morning, we landed at Yankee Harbor on Greenwich Island, where there was a large Gentoo penguin colony and a colony of elephant seals. Although the skies continued to be blue, the water was more open and this was one of our rougher landings for waves and chop.

Having left Antarctica at Enterprise Island, we continued north east to our landing at Greenwich island, one of the South Shetland Islands

Nesting Gentoo penguin on the rocky beach near our landing site

Egg visible and getting a little bit of cooler air to regulate the temperature

Gentoo on the move

Great composition with the Southern ocean in the background

Lying on the eggs still provides warmth and an opportunity to rest

Surveying the area before leaving the nesting area of well-formed piles of pebbles

Looking our way, from a remaining patch of snow on the beach. As we are quite a bit further north, more winter snow has melted, leaving more open ground

Getting ready for feeding and a swim

Some debris from a time of industry before strict environmental regulations

Making our way along the beach to meet the zodiac

Watching the penguins returning from their time on the water

Tom capturing some landscape photos with his normal sized lens

Although we had a rough zodiac ride, we were rewarded with a side trip across the bay to an Elephant Seal colony that wasn’t on the official itinerary

We arrived safely back from our zodiac adventure, led by one of the more adventurous zodiac pilots. In order to minimize the bumps, he attempted to surf the waves. This tactic made for fast movement and a lot of twists and turns. Having been brought by him from the ship to the landing as well, we were prepared, sat low and held on tight.

Dec 6 Afternoon - Fort Point, Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands

Over lunch, we moved further east on the island to Fort Point. For our last day we were lucky to have a second landing on Greenwich, our only day with two landings. With the change in location, we were able to observe some different topology and additional penguin species.

Our second landing at Fort Point on the eastern coast of the island

This was our first location with Adélie penguins in addition to Gentoo and Chinstrap

Two Gentoo penguins returning to the nesting area on the beach

Gentoo likely calling out for their mate

Elephant seal resting near the penguin colony

Chinstrap, our third species for the afternoon

Another zodiac preparing to land and join us

Elephant seal, paying just a little bit more attention to their surroundings

Chinstraps and Gentoo comfortably sharing the beach

Chinstrap closeup

Grabbing the perfect rock for the nest

Gentoo calling

Perspective on the largely Gentoo colony

One last photo together before we officially leave

This far north there is lots of exposed rock and even some bits of green vegetation

Capturing some of the penguin movement in the large colony

Shortly after the last zodiac was back on the ship, we set out for the Drake crossing. Back in open water, we weren’t sure how rough the passage would be, but after dinner took some medication and hoped for the best.

Dec 7 - Drake Passage

Overnight, we had very calm waters and made good progress towards Ushuaia. With a full day in open water, we had lots of time to enjoy the ship’s amenities and to be on the lookout for wildlife.

Tracking our voyage on CruiseMapper we can track our progress and see our full path over the previous seven days

In the morning, we were followed by a pod of Minke whales

Continuing the travel with our companions

Incredible calm of the Drake Lake is a very welcome change from the Drake Shake of our journey down

As the cruise winds down they had a special menu including lobster tails

For desert, from the special menu, Tom enjoyed the chocolate penguin, which was a decedent cream-filled, penguin-shaped easter bunny

As we get further from the Antarctic Circle, we get our first proper sunset in days just after 11:00pm, and evidence of the continued calm seas

The Minke whales were close enough that I was able to capture them with my iPhone from our cabin

The calmness of the “Drake Lake” continued through the day, and the captain took full advantage of our extraordinary luck by speeding towards South America. The day ended with the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party where the champagne and cocktails flowed and we formally toasted our cruise. To closeout the formal program, there was a talent show in the Atlas Lounge where the crew was able to show off their eclectic talents.

Dec 8 - Cape Horn and Southern Chile coast

Overnight, the captain raced towards Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. With the calm waters, we were almost a full day ahead of schedule, but unfortunately as we weren’t able to land in Chile, spent the extra time offshore viewing the coastline. I also took advantage of my shipboard credit to have a relaxing massage in the ship’s spa.

Showing how far we’ve traveled to Cape Horn

Black-browed albatross off the coast of Cape Horn

Continuing to track the albatross flight

Cape Horn Memorial sculpture sits atop the cliffs

Tom was able to capture a beautiful albatross in flight

More of the rugged coast of the southern islands of Chile

A large flock of birds take off as the ship breaks up their resting place

For the final expedition briefing and slideshow we get a full recap of our adventure from Katya, our expedition leader, and a chance to thank the full expedition team

Catching sunset over Tierra del Fuego as we head for the Beagle Channel

After the slideshow, we enjoyed our last dinner, and the expedition team put on a fun recreation of the Liars Club Game Show. We had a final show from Piano Paul, the ships entertainer, in the Dome lounge, and had a last late night visit.

Dec 9 - Ushuaia

After docking and before breakfast, I did a final tour of the ship before we had to disembark and end our incredible adventure.

Ushuaia from the 5th-deck aft sundeck, not far from our room

The sitting area of our room, with a virtual balcony that allowed an immersive experience from the warmth of our room

The 7th-deck Dome lounge cleared out from the previous night of fun

The 4th-deck Atlas lounge where we staged in groups of 10s for our zodiac boarding and relaxed throughout the day

After breakfast, we staged in the lounge for the scheduled buses to take us to the airport for our flight back. Thankfully, the flight home was uneventful, and we even arrived early in Buenos Aires. On arrival, we collected our luggage, said farewell to the new friends we met on the cruise, and headed back to the city for our final days in the southern hemisphere.